The Deep End
by Blurtitoutalready
Summary: One Saturday morning Cooper shows up at Kurt and Blaine's NYC apartment with some big news and two little ones in tow. Kurt and Blaine's lives are in for a BIG change. Canon up to 3.18
1. Chapter 1

**Preface:**

So – this story is based off of something an acquaintance of mine and his boyfriend went through, mixed with too much law and order watching, and my own experiences as a babysitter of foster care kids. I'm trying to keep it as close to canon as possible and also fairly realistic – but I have limited knowledge of children or family court or police-related-situations and things of that nature so some artistic license has been taken.

Also this story probably isn't for Cooper-stans, but it was necessary to make the story happen. Not as angsty as it might seem I think.

* * *

**June 2016**

A month after graduating from NYADA Kurt had managed to score a role as the understudy to the role of Cornelius Hackl in a Broadway revival of _Hello, Dolly_! It didn't pay much, but it was a job that took him one step closer to being _on Broadway _and there was always hope the other actor playing Cornelius would come down with laryngitis in time for opening night, right? (Not that Kurt secretly, guilty, thought about that, not at all.) To help balance the bills Kurt had taken a part-time job as a barista at the coffee shop by their apartment in Chelsea but miracle of all miracles he didn't have to go into work today once he finished with Saturday morning rehearsal for the show and could go straight home for a late lunch with Blaine.

He climbed the stairs to their tiny third floor walk up thinking about the latest choreography he'd been charged with learning when he heard loud child-like crying coming from his and Blaine's apartment. What the? It wasn't like Blaine to keep the TV up so loud. Kurt took his keys out of his bag and wriggled the tricky front door open.

His eyes widened when he got the door fully opened and was greeted to a slightly hysterical looking Blaine trying, unsuccessfully, to soothe a small screaming infant while a little girl no older than three sat cross legged on the floor next to their couch using Kurt's good drawing pencils to scribble contentedly on some computer paper.

"Shh, shh…it's okay…" Blaine chanted, sounding like he was trying to convince himself as much as the child.

Kurt cleared his throat loudly, "um…?"

Blaine looked up sharply and relief washed over his face briefly before his anxious visage was renewed. He opened his mouth but Kurt couldn't really understand him over the screeching baby. Bracing himself, Kurt crossed the room and motioned for Blaine to hand him the baby. Blaine placed the child in Kurt's arms. Kurt cradled the little….boy? Girl? He couldn't really tell. The child clung to him and quickly began to relax as Kurt gently rocked back and forth. After a minute or two the baby stopped crying completely.

Blaine looked dumbfounded, and a little jealous.

"How did you do that?" Kurt shrugged.

"Beats me. Now, would you like to share where on Earth these children came from and why they are in our house?"

"I'm Roxanne!" Squealed the little girl, looking up from her drawing and standing up to get a better look at Kurt before Blaine could answer. Kurt held out his hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Roxanne."

"Who're you?" She asked.

"My name is Kurt."

"Do you live here?"

"Yes. Blaine is my boyfriend." The little girl giggled at the word boyfriend and patted Kurt's proffered hand before going back to her drawing. With the baby in his arms Kurt gingerly sat on the couch, Blaine taking the seat next to him. Blaine was still trying to school his face into something approaching calm.

"Cooper showed up here this morning just after you left," Blaine began.

"Cooper? Cooper was here from California?"

"Yeah I guess he was in town for a few days to film a commercial. Not that he bothered to call or anything to let me know he'd be in town. He just showed up with these two kids and begged me to babysit for an hour."

"Cooper doesn't have kids, does he?" Kurt interrupted, looking down at the baby in his arms with renewed interest.

"Not that I knew of! But he told me that his ex girlfriend showed up at his apartment yesterday and they've been broken up for like months he hadn't even seen her since last fall when he was here for that guest spot on Law and Order but she said that – that, baby, Joey, is his and she couldn't take care of it and it's Coopers responsibility and she had Roxanne with her too but I don't think she could be Coopers but I don't really know. After I said I'd watch them he kinda took off in a hurry"

"So…she just dumped them with him?"

"I don't know," Blaine said honestly, "That's what it sounded like but you know how –er, dramatic, Coop is sometimes."

Kurt stared down at the little boy in his arms who looked back at him with big honey brown eyes and then glanced over at the little girl who'd managed to go through at least 8 sheets of paper in the last couple of minutes they'd been talking. Blaine fidgeted with the cuffs of his long sleeved shirt anxiously. The clock ticked loudly in their kitchen as it announced the next hour.

"Blaine….," began Kurt slowly, his eyes widening in trepidation as his face began to reflect the anxiety that had been building in him since the moment he opened the front door. "Cooper asked you to watch these two for an hour? I've been gone almost _four_ hours…where _is _he?" Blaine nervously wiped his hands down the front of his thighs.

"That's the thing….he's not answering his phone. I don't know."


	2. Chapter 2

"Blaine….," began Kurt slowly, his eyes widening in trepidation as his face began to reflect the anxiety that had been building in him since the moment he opened the front door. "Cooper asked you to watch these two for an hour? I've been gone almost _four_ hours…where _is _he?" Blaine nervously wiped his hands down the front of his thighs.

"That's the thing….he's not answering his phone. I don't know."

* * *

"Shit." Swore Kurt. The little girls eyes shot up to stare at him.

"That's a bad word!" She scolded. Kurt winced.

"Sorry." She turned to Blaine.

"I'm hungry."

"They probably both are," Kurt observed. "Did Cooper leave a diaper bag or…anything?" He asked, eyes scanning the room.

"Honestly Kurt he just threw Joey and Roxanne in my hands and took off. He didn't leave anything. I cut up a banana for her earlier though."

"We don't even have diapers!" Kurt shrieked. Unfortunately, his outburst undid all of his efforts to calm little Joey who startled at the sound and started screaming again. Unruffled, Roxanne stuck a finger in each of her ears and kept on staring at Blaine.

"I'm hungry." She repeated.

"We don't really have anything in the house. We should go to the store or something…" Blaine suggested. Kurt closed his eyes and took a deep breath to ground himself.

"First we're gonna go get some diapers, and then some lunch, and then we can regroup. Keep trying to call Cooper," he instructed. He sniffed the air suddenly. "Yes, definitely diapers first."

"Yeah, yeah – okay," agreed Blaine. He ran a hand over the back of his neck.

"Roxanne, honey, why don't we get some lunch?"

"Okay."

Blaine took one of the remaining sheets of paper and quickly jotted down a note for Cooper explaining where they'd gone and taped it to their front door, "in case he like, lost his phone or something."

With Kurt holding the fussy Joey and Roxanne begrudgingly holding onto Blaine's hand they made their way to the corner market where they hemmed and hawed for ten minutes about what size and kind of diapers to get for Joey before the little boys screeches outweighed any debate and they hastily made their purchase along with some cream, powder and wipes. Luckily the market had a "family" bathroom and the four shuffled inside.

"Your nephew," Kurt declared, handing over the infant to his boyfriend who hesitantly took the child while Kurt pulled down the changing station and took out the supplies.

"Yucky," protested Roxanne as she watched Blaine change the squirmy little boy. Kurt wasn't too good at measuring the age of babies, but this one didn't look more than a few months old. Kurt wrinkled his nose and nodded in agreement with the little girl.

"He's awfully red down here," Blaine observed. "Is that normal?" Kurt turned to look.

"I don't think so. That looks like a rash to me. I'm glad we got the cream and stuff." Kurt turned back to face Roxanne.

"_You_ are potty trained right?" The little girl squirmed uncomfortably.

"Kinda." Kurt raised an eyebrow. Great.

"Do you – um, do you wear underwear or…?" Kurt drifted off, feeling ridiculous for even asking.

"Uh huh!" The girl said proudly, lifting her dress and showing off a pair of little mermaid underpants with a grin.

"Okay, you can, uh, put that away," Kurt muttered. Blaine held up a freshly-diapered Joey, looking awfully pleased with himself at the successful diaper change. The baby gurgled happily.

Kurt took the little boy back in one arm and held onto Roxanne's hand with the other while Blaine washed his hands. After drying them off Blaine reached into his pocket and dialed his brother again. Still no answer. Kurt glared at the phone but managed an only-slightly forced smile and the four headed back out into the market and back into the baby aisle.

"How are we supposed to know what he eats?" Blaine asked exasperatedly. "We don't even know how old he is!"

"I am going to strangle your brother," warned Kurt while Blaine held a canister of Enfamil and a couple jars of gerber baby food in his hands.

"Not if I get to him first," added Blaine darkly.

After a few more minutes of blank staring at the wall of baby food a tired looking mom of twins entered the aisle and began piling some organic baby food into her small cart.

"Um, could you, could you help us?" Blaine asked hesitantly. The woman looked up from her task and smiled at Roxanne, Kurt and Joey.

"What beautiful children you have," she greeted warmly.

"Oh! Thanks, but – um, they're not ours. I…I am their uncle (Blaine seemed shocked at the words coming out of his mouth) and my boyfriend and I are babysitting for my brother but he's going to be gone longer than expected and we don't really know much about babies," Blaine explained. The woman jlaughed.

"Well, judging by the fact that little guys diaper is on backwards I guess you're right," she joked. Blaine blushed and Kurt clapped a hand over his eyes. She waved away their embarrassment. "It happens. I have five, these two are my youngest. I'm lucky if _my _clothes aren't on backwards." She beckoned Kurt to come closer to her with Joey. Roxanne took great interest in the two twin boys seated in the front of the woman's small cart.

"Babies!" She noted happily.

"Yep. That's Jamal in the orange and Mikal in the blue. They'll be six months tomorrow. Amazing how fast they grow – three months ago they were little peanuts like –"

"Joey!" Roxanne supplied.

"Like your little brother Joey is now. I'm guessing he's about three months old?"

"Uh, around that," Blaine answered.

"Well I breastfed until they were four months old – a lot of people do it longer than that but they didn't want it anymore – but seeing as you guys don't have the right equipment," she paused to laugh at her own joke, "and I'm guessing mom didn't leave you guys with any frozen milk or anything….why don't you try this one." She picked up a baby formula that was described as easy-to-digest and appropriate for babies 0-12 month. They gratefully accepted her assistance and let her help them pick out a small set of bottles and some other supplies.

Blaine grimaced and handed over his debit card as the cashier rang up their order – somehow they'd managed to spend $74.32 and they hadn't even really gotten anything.

"Cooper better be prepared to pay you back for all of this," snapped Kurt as they made their way out of the store.

"Totally. I mean, Jesus I guess these kids are…my niece and nephew and whoa that's weird to think about, but like….this is really irresponsible. I just hope when we get back to the apartment he's waiting there with a broken phone and a very good story so we can figure all this out."

"Are we going to eat now?" Roxanne grumbled.

"Yeah, do you, do you like pancakes?" Blaine asked, searching his head for what kind of kid-friendly food was nearby."

"Can I get chocolate chip?"

"Sure."

Weighed down by their various purchases they slowly made their way to a small café that served breakfast all day. Their favorite waitress, Beverly, welcomed them with wide eyes and sat them in the back. Kurt asked her if she could possibly sterilize the new bottle they just bought and, thankfully, she was only too happy to help with "darling Blaine's precious little nephew – how come you didn't tell me you were an Uncle?" – taking Kurt into the back with her and they arrived back at the table with a full bottle of formula.

Kurt ordered a spinach egg white quiche for himself and Blaine to split, and a short stack of chocolate chip waffles and carafe of orange juice and two coffees while Blaine fed a hungry Joey. Roxanne looked content to stare out the window of the café and observe the busy Chelsea streets.

"So, do you think your parents know Cooper has kids?" Kurt asked, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible, though Blaine's ever-silent cell phone which sat between them in on the booths table, made such nonchalance challenging.

"I have no idea, but I got the impression that until…well, whenever – um, Amber, I think – until Amber showed up at Coop's hotel room he didn't know he had a kid. Or kids." He wiped away a smudge of formula from the corner of Joey's mouth. "This one sure _looks_ like Cooper." He took another long look at Roxanne – the little girl had bright green eyes and fine dirty-blonde hair that was cut into a slightly over-grown bob with bangs. She didn't look anything like Cooper – well, maybe her nose – but it was hard to tell and he didn't know what her mother looked like at all.

"What kind of mother dumps her children off with an irresponsible nit like Cooper?" huffed Kurt. Blaine's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "No offense, but your brother is hardly the beacon of responsibility," Kurt explained.

"It's not that," said Blaine as he threw the little green cloth they'd purchased over his shoulder and began awkwardly trying to burp the baby, "but I remember the days when you thought Cooper was pretty perfect." Kurt rolled his eyes.

"One or two comments when I was 18 don't mean I haven't gotten a more…realistic, picture of your brother over the years."

Beverly arrived with their food and after a second it dawned on Kurt that he should probably cut up Roxanne's food for her rather than hand the three year old a knife so he took to task doing that. He carefully poured out only a small dash of syrup but the little ended up with chocolate and syrup all down her face and over the front of her shirt.

"We should have gotten bibs or something," Kurt noted flatly, taking the little girl into the bathroom to get her cleaned up.

"I have to go potty," Roxanne announced once they shut the door.

"Okay…?

"Turn around," she scolded. Oh, right. Kurt dutifully turned around and, for good measure, closed his eyes. He heard some shuffling in the background and tried to block out how weird this was. He hummed through the whole of "It Only Takes a Moment," twice before asking if she was finished.

"I, uh – help!" the little girl mumbled. _I knew I should have sent Blaine to do this_, thought Kurt. Kurt had always felt a kinship with women and wasn't easily embarrassed by their needs, but it was one thing to have Rachel and Mercedes discuss their periods in front of him and another thing for a little girl you just met to ask you to help her clean up after going to the bathroom. The two managed to get through the process and remove the majority of the stains off her shirt with only minimal embarrassment however.

Blaine had paid for brunch and had a sleeping Joey in his arms by the time they left the restroom and met him at the front of the café.

"What?" Blaine asked of the pinched expression on Kurt's face.

"Nothing," dismissed Kurt, "when's the last time you tried Cooper?"

"Just a minute ago, still nothing. I have no idea where the fu- I mean, I don't know where he could be. I'm hoping he's with their mom and figuring all this stuff out." Kurt nodded and took Blaine's free hand.

"Yeah that's what I was thinking – really it's the only thing that makes sense." He gave Blaine's hand a squeeze, "it is pretty trippy to see you carrying a baby."

"Right back atcha," Blaine second, "weird but not…"

"Not bad weird."

"Yeah, not bad weird."

"Someday, in the _far_, _far_, _far_ future when we have kids I'm sure you'll make a great dad." Blaine smiled and leaned over to kiss Kurt's cheek.

"We'll both be great parents – someday."


	3. Chapter 3

"Someday, in the _far_, _far_, _far_ future when we have kids I'm sure you'll make a great dad." Blaine smiled and leaned over to kiss Kurt's cheek.

"We'll both be great parents – someday."

* * *

By the time they got home it was past three o'clock. The market had a small selection of children's toys marked 3+ and they'd picked up a box of thick crayons ("my good pencils are not for toddler doodling, _Blaine"_), a set of blocks and small stuffed bear for Roxanne. Kurt laid down a soft blue blanket on their living room floor and Roxanne quickly took to work stacking blocks.

Kurt and Blaine took turns playing with Joey and Roxanne as the afternoon ticked on by, anxiety crawling back up Blaine's spine as it got closer and closer to six – the time he was supposed to meet some other NYADA student's to rehearse for the summer show. It would take him half an hour to get there on the subway and by five fifteen Cooper still hadn't shown up, or called.

"I'll just call them and tell them I can't come," Blaine decided, picking up his phone. Kurt grabbed his hand.

"No, no, no – you go – you can't just skip rehearsal because your brother is an idiot. I'm sure he'll be back soon, it's getting pretty late. I can handle these two," Kurt assured. Blaine looked hesitatingly between Kurt and his phone. NYADA wasn't really well known for gracefully excusing absences.

"This whole day has been unreal." He picked up his phone and dialed Cooper's number.

Ring. Ring. Ring.

"_Hey! You've reached the cellular telephone of the one and only Cooper Anderson. I'm obviously too busy being awesome to answer the phone right now, so leave a message. Stay classy!"_

"Cooper. This is your bother. Blaine. Remember me? _Where ARE you_?" Blaine seethed into the phone. "You were supposed to be back to pick up these kids at 10 o'clock this morning. Just, freaking call me back and give me their mother's phone number or _something_." He hung up the phone and shook his head at it. "I can't just leave you here with them. It's not your responsibility."

"Blaine, it's fine. You're going to be late. Just….leave your phone here – take mine. That way if Cooper calls I can speak to him and tell him to hurry the hell up and get here."

"That's a bad word!" Roxanne piped up.

"Sorry."

"Are you sure?" Blaine pressed.

"Yeah, I mean it's not like they're going to be here all night or anything – Cooper's irresponsible but he's not _that_ irresponsible. I'll get them some dinner and I'll download a movie or something. We'll be fine."

Blaine crossed the room and leaned down to press several kisses in a row to Kurt's lips.

"You are the best boyfriend ever." Kurt laughed.

"Yes, I love you too. Now go on before Carmen Tibideaux loses her mind."

"Okay okay. Bye. Um, bye uh – kids."

"Bye!" The little girl called to Blaine's retreating back.

"So, uh Roxanne, what would you like for dinner?" Kurt asked.

"Ice cream!" Roxanne suggested. Kurt laughed.

"Maybe _after_ dinner. Do you like chicken?"

"Chicken nuggets?" Kurt thought about the thawed chicken breast in their fridge. Maybe he could make some baked chicken tenders or something.

"Kinda…" The little girl looked at him suspiciously but didn't protest.

"I have to go potty again." Kurt sighed – yeah Cooper definitely owed them, big time.

"Okay, let's get your brother changed and you taken care of and then I'll make dinner."

As it turned out it's actually quite challenging to cook with a three year old in the apartment and a baby that you have nowhere to put. Kurt thought he could cook one handed but trying to put a tray of chicken tenders into the oven while holding a squirmy baby looked too dangerous to even attempt.

"Kurt Elizabeth Hummel, pull yourself together," he scolded himself under his breath as he started to feel the same hysteria Blaine had been experiencing when he'd arrived home earlier that day.

"Roxanne, the kitchen is very dangerous – not safe, so I'm going to put a movie on in the living room and I want you to stay in there and watch it, okay?"

"What movie?"

"What's your favorite?"

"_The Little Mermaid_!" Duh. Kurt should have known from the underpants. He quickly set up the Netflix on their television and within a minute the little girl was happily enthralled in the movie. Figuring out what to do with Joey took a little more time to figure out. Kurt made up another bottle while he thought about it.

Finally he settled on creating a contraption of his own for the baby to stay on while he cooked. He dug out his yoga mat from the back closet and set it on the kitchen table. He threw a sheet on top of it. He took the body pillow off of their bed and curled it into a horseshoe shape. Finally he wrapped the baby up in a small, thin blanket – not really sure it passed for "swaddling" but Joey seemed content. He gingerly set the baby down on its homemade "bed," his eyes flashing back to the small bundle every two seconds to make sure he hadn't tipped himself one way or another or stopped breathing or anything else awful.

He knew he could call Rachel and ask for her help, but involving Rachel meant involving Finn and Kurt didn't want to involve his family in…whatever the fuck was going on until he'd had a chance to talk about it with Blaine. So, he steamed peas and carrots, baked chicken tenders and cut up some fresh fruit while taking frequent breaks to check on the baby and peer through the doorway of their kitchen to make sure Roxanne was doing okay.

Not wanting to even go there (_it's not like I'm her dad. As long as I keep her alive I'm golden)_ Kurt brought dinner right into the living room along with Joey and set up the three of them in front of the TV so Roxanne wouldn't have to pause her movie. Kurt picked at his food, suddenly feeling less confidence in his assurances to Blaine that Cooper wasn't _that _irresponsible. It was after seven and still no word from Cooper. He wasn't sure what time three year olds went to sleep but he was certain it wasn't too far past eight o'clock.

Even if their mom – Ashley, or Amber or Amanda or something – was having some sort of parenting crisis when she showed up at Cooper's, Kurt couldn't imagine that she didn't want her kids back now and probably had no idea where they were.


	4. Chapter 4

Even if their mom – Ashley, or Amber or Amanda or something – was having some sort of parenting crisis when she showed up at Cooper's, Kurt couldn't imagine that she didn't want her kids back now and probably had no idea where they were.

* * *

Blaine texted him at half past eight. It took Kurt a second to remember Blaine had his phone when the message popped up "from Kurt."

**From Kurt**: How's it going?

**From Blaine:** Okay. No sign of Cooper. Do you have his manager's phone number or something? Do you think we should call your dad or Cooper's mom or something? They're both asleep. I put Roxanne down in our bed because I didn't know what else to do with her.

**From Kurt**: Fuck. No I don't have his manager's number. Can you text me my dad's cell number? I don't have it memorized. This is getting kind of crazy.

**From Blaine: ** It's 555-852-1243.

**From Kurt: **Okay. Thank you. I'm gonna call him now while they're doing the female-only scenes. I'll let you know what I find out. Thank you for helping me with this. I love you.

**From Blaine: **Love you too.

Blaine dialed his father. It rang twice before going to voicemail.

"Dad, this is Blaine. I have Kurt's phone. Can you please call me back? It's about Cooper and it's important. "

**From Kurt**: My dad didn't answer. I'll try again when we get out of here. I should be home by like 10:30.

"Okay, men's chorus we're ready for you!" came a voice over the loud speaker. Blaine stared down at Kurt's phone and then stuffed it down in his pocket (a no-no at NYADA but this was important) and hustled over to join the other guys.

His dad called him back just as he was changing into his street clothes at the end of rehearsal.

"What's wrong with Cooper?" He demanded without greeting.

"Did you know Cooper has a child? Possibly two? Two children that are currently being watched by Kurt at our apartment?"

"What are you talking about? Cooper doesn't have children!"

"Actually, it appears your golden boy actually _does_. He showed up at my apartment at nine o'clock this morning and asked me to watch them for an hour and now….thirteen hours later he hasn't picked them up yet."

"Is this a prank?"

"No. Dad, Jesus. I've been trying to get a hold of Cooper all day but he won't answer his phone. He got to my apartment this morning and told me this crazy story about how his ex-girlfriend, Amber someone, showed up at his hotel room at the crack of dawn and told him that he had a kid and she didn't want to handle the responsibility anymore and she punted this like three month old little boy and three year old little girl into his arms and then took off. _Then_ he went and did apparently a revival of that performance in my apartment. Except he said he'd come back. But he hasn't. I'm starting to wonder if we should call the cops."

The other end of the line was silent for a moment, which Blaine took as a good sign that maybe, just maybe, his father was taking him seriously.

"How, how did he seem? This morning, when he dropped them – the children – off?"

"Anxious, confused, in a hurry,"

"But…he didn't seem….?"

"High? God damn it I _knew_ you knew about that but just pretended you didn't. No he didn't seem coked up or tweaked out or anything. This time." He paused. "Just freaked out but not….chemically altered." Mr. Anderson coughed – he'd always skirted around Coopers recreational drug use and had never been willing to speak about it before with Blaine.

"Good. I – I'll call him. Can you and Kurt just watch them for the night? I don't want to get the police involved unnecessarily."

"Fine. But if he's not at my door by nine am tomorrow with the hell of a good explanation and a guarantee that these kids are going to be well taken care of by their mother or him or I don't fucking know – Kurt and I will call the cops."

"Okay. Er, thank you for handling this situation son." Blaine rolled his eyes.

"Don't you even want to know their names, grandpa?"

"Oh! It sounds like they're probably not _really _Cooper's kids so…let's hold off on that."

"The littlest one is Coop's – I'm sure of it. Looks just like him."

"Call me in the morning."

"Okay." Blaine hung up the phone without further ado and stepped onto the platform of the subway, shooting Kurt a quick text just as he lost service.

**From Kurt: **OMW home. 15 minutes.

He jogged up the stairs to their apartment, opening the door to find Kurt asleep on the couch with Joey snuggled against his chest. It hit Blaine like a brick wall. Other than Beth, none of their friends had kids yet (and Puck and Quinn saw Beth only a few times a year so Blaine had only seen Beth like twice in the past five years) so it was strange seeing his boyfriend so comfortable and content with a child. He quietly crossed the room and glanced at his phone on the coffee table. No missed calls, new messages or texts. God damn it.

"Cooper you better be incapacitated or something because I am going to kill you," Blaine whispered. Kurt blinked his eyes open at the admission.

"I'll hold his arms while you strangle him," he added sleepily.

"Hey, sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

"As long as you don't wake this one or Roxanne I won't hold it against you."

"How was your night?" Blaine asked, sitting down in the arm chair next to their couch.

"Okay. After dinner and the movie was over Roxanne started asking when her mom was coming to pick her up and I had no idea what to tell her."

"I'm really surprised she lasted all day before she started asking," Blaine admitted.

"I was too but I…I kinda got the feeling this wasn't the first time her mom's been MIA for a whole day."

"What did you tell her?" Kurt shifted slightly so he could getter a better look at Blaine.

"I told her that her mom was at work. She was upset and cried for…like an hour, but I downloaded a few kids books to my kindle and she fell asleep in the middle of _The Velveteen Rabbit_." Blaine ran a hand through his hair.

"She cried for an hour?" He asked with a wince.

"Yep. Now go bring the best boyfriend in the world a pillow from our bed and one of the throw blankets. We have nowhere I feel comfortable with putting this little one for the night other than on me and I'm starting to get a crick in my neck."

"Yes dear." Blaine walked into their bedroom and found the little girl decked out in one of his t shirts – Blaine wasn't a big guy but the hem fell way down by her ankles, sleeping soundly sprawled out on their bed. He carefully scooped a couple of pillows off of the bed and got a throw from their closet before going into the bathroom to change his clothes.

Kurt warily opened one eye to accept the pillow and shove it behind his head while Blaine tucked him and Joey into their spot on couch.

"Where are you going to sleep?" He asked.

"In the recliner. Too weird to sleep in the same bed as a three year old you don't really know and she's taking up a surprisingly large amount of space."

"Well, it's just for one night, right?" Kurt asked, forcing open his other eye.

"Yes: just for one night," assured Blaine. "I talked to my dad. No word from Cooper but he's working on tracking him down as well. If he isn't here tomorrow morning we'll call the police to go look for him and the kids' mom. It'll all get sorted out."

"Hmm," yawned Kurt, "Okay."

"I love you," Blaine whispered as he turned off the light and eyeballed the recliner, which was comfortable enough to sit in during the day but he wasn't sure about all night. Oh well.

"I love you too, baby."

**Reviews are appreciated.**


	5. Chapter 5

"I love you," Blaine whispered as he turned off the light and eyeballed the recliner, which was comfortable enough to sit in during the day but he wasn't sure about all night. Oh well.

"I love you too, baby."

* * *

Joey woke up twice in the night to be fed and changed, leaving Kurt and Blaine in reverse positions on the couch and recliner as Kurt had enough diaper duty for one evening thank you very much. At half passed five Roxanne's cries from the bedroom woke them both up but Kurt volunteered to go check on her as Blaine and Joey had only gotten resettled about half an hour before.

Kurt walked into the bedroom and saw Roxanne curled up in the far corner of the bed, crying. He gently sat next to her.

"Honey what's wrong?" He asked gently. She shook her head, tight lipped and shoulders shaking. Kurt cautiously reached out to stroke her hair but retreated when she jerked away. "Did you have a bad dream?" He wondered aloud. She shook her head again. Kurt looked around for her stuffed bear, hoping it would soothe her. He began moving around pillows and bedding when he noticed the large wet spot in the middle of the bed. Roxanne heard his gasp and began crying with renewed vigor. _Oh_.

"I-I…." she wailed miserably. "I had a accident." Kurt tried to stay focus on the upset little girl in his bed and not the fact that there was now a considerable amount of pee on his expensive Egyptian cotton sheets.

"Well, that happens sometimes. Let's, let's get you changed and some new sheet and we'll be all fixed." _Well, she did say "kinda," potty trained and this whole experience must be scary for her_, Kurt reasoned as Roxanne wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and let Kurt take her by the hand to stand next to the bed while he stripped the sheets.

He changed her into another of Blaine's old shirts and quickly washed her underwear in the sink because _it's not like Cooper left them with another pair_ Kurt thought irritably as he used the blow dryer to dry them. He flipped the mattress and put on new sheets while the little girl clutched her bear.

"There," he remarked triumphantly. "Good as new."

"Thanks…hey, what's your name?" Roxanne asked.

"Kurt. I'm Kurt and my boyfriend is Blaine." She nodded in her understanding. He lifted her back into the bed and kissed her on the forehead before even realized what he was doing. She smiled up at him.

"I like you. You're nice."

"You're nice too," he said with a smile, bopping the little girl on the nose, "now go back to sleep."

Thoroughly awake now, Kurt gathered up the laundry and headed down to the basement to throw the soiled sheets in the wash. He went back up to their apartment and made a pot of coffee, pouring himself a cup when the phone, finally, rang. Accidentally splashing himself with piping hot coffee Kurt dashed out of the living room just as Blaine shot up (jolting baby Joey awake in the process) and reached for his phone.

"Where the HELL have you been?" Blaine demanded into the phone. Kurt sat down next to Blaine so he could listen in.

"I'm sorry alright. Relax. You're good with kids, right?" Cooper spoke into the phone, his voice raspy.

"I repeat. _Where have you been?_ You were supposed to leave them with me for an _hour_, not a day."

"Look I had to figure some shit out. I don't even think they're mine. Can you call their mom for me? I really have to get back to LA." Blaine's face flushed in anger.

"You fucking child. This baby has your exact eyes. Just, goddamn it: give me their mom's number. Wouldn't want to keep you from your precious career."

Cooper rattled off the number and ended with a "thanks man! Chao!" Before hanging up the phone.

"Unbelievable. _Unbelievable_," seethed Blaine. Kurt rubbed his back distractedly while he dialed the number Cooper had given them.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

A hacking cough greeted them as the line picked up. "What?" asked the voice, which sounded far older than Kurt or Blaine had been expecting.

"Uh, hi…is this Amber?" Kurt asked hesitantly, wishing he had a last name at least. _Thanks Cooper._

"No. I ain't seen her in three days."

"But you know her?" Kurt pressed.

"Of course I know her I'm her mother," the voice snapped. "Why do you wanna know?"

"Ma'am, my name is Kurt Hummel and my boyfriend Blaine Anderson –"

"Boyfriend, eh? I knew you sounded like a fruit loop."

"Yes, well, Blaine and I are here with Amber's children – Joey and Roxanne?"

"Joey and Roxanne? Why the hell are they with you?"

"It's a bit of a long story but Joey's father, Cooper, left them in our care and we've been trying to reach Amber."

"Cooper? That asshole – I haven't seen him since right after Roxy was born. I didn't know he was Joey's daddy too. "

"We didn't realize he was Roxanne's either."

"Yeah well that's Amber for you. Like I said I don't know where she is though."

"Okay," Kurt said steadily, "but do you know anyone who might know where she is or any other way to contact her?"

"Listen you ain't gonna find Amber if she don't wanna be found, and if she doesn't wanna be found she's probably not in any state to be around those children anyway."

"I see. Is there somewhere we could meet you then?" Kurt reached.

"Meet me? Why do you wanna meet me?"

"Don't you want your grandchildren back?"

"I raised my babies. I told Amber if she wanted those brats she had to take care of them." Kurt swallowed and handed Blaine the phone.

"Miss?"

"Collins, Rosemary Collins."

"Is that Amber's last name too?"

"Yeah – unless she got married without telling me," Rosemary said with a laugh that ended with a cough. "Listen, I got things to do. If I see Amber I'll tell her you're looking for her, okay?"

"O-kay….well, don't hang up yet! Let me give you my number and our address first." Blaine waited for her to grab a pen and repeated both of his and Kurt's numbers and their apartments address for the woman. After they hung up Blaine stared blankly from Kurt to the baby that was starting to stir in his arms to the bedroom where Roxanne slept.

"Well, this just got interesting," said Kurt dryly, picking up the baby and heading into the kitchen to make up a bottle.

Blaine rubbed his eyes with the backs of his palms. _Okay,_ he thought_, I must have like…hit my head making breakfast yesterday after Kurt left for his rehearsal and now I'm in a coma at the hospital because this – whatever _this _is – this. is. not. happening._

"We have to call a social worker, or Child Protective Services…or…something," Blaine stated as he padded into the kitchen. Kurt hummed in agreement.

"And you should call your dad again, maybe he can make Cooper come back or help us find Amber."

"Yeah. I just, it feels like we like, kidnapped two kids or something."

"When really they just showed up at our door," Kurt finished for him.

"Where's mommy?" a small voice asked. Blaine turned to see a messy haired Roxanne, his t-shirt trailing along the ground it was so long on her.

"She's uh….still working. We talked to your grandma," Blaine explained. Roxanne grimaced.

"I don't like her."

Blaine picked up the little girl and lifted her up to pick out a cereal for herself.

"Why not?"

"She's mean. She hits. You're not supposed to hit." Blaine held the girl a little tighter.

"That's right. Gosh you're smart." She pointed towards the Rice Crispy cereal and he helped her pull it off the shelf.

They didn't have booster seats so Blaine kept the little girl on his lap while she ate her breakfast. One-Handed-Wonder Kurt made them both coffee and bowls of cereal of their own and then sat across from Blaine at the table. Kurt held two fingers up to his temple and closed his eyes.

"I see our future for today, it involves lots of waiting in line," he joked to break some of the tension. Blaine smiled, grateful that he could always count on Kurt in a crisis.

"Yeah. After breakfast we should get cleaned up and god – I don't even know where to start. There's that police station like 8 blocks uptown, which might be a good place to start. I don't know what we're going to tell them – our story sounds pretty crazy. Hey officer my douchebag wanna-be famous brother showed up at my boyfriend and I's apartment yesterday and dropped off two small children saying their mom says they're his but he doesn't thinks so but we can't get a hold of the mom and the grandmother doesn't want to help us find her either. That doesn't sound ridiculous at all."

"Life's never boring, hmm?" Sympathized Kurt.

"Crap, we don't even have clean clothes for them."

"Yes we do. I started a load earlier. I had to wash the sheets on our bed. Roxanne had a little trouble during the night. I'll go switch around the washer and dryer after we eat then we can all shower and go."

**Thank you for the kind reviews so far - it's appreciated.**

**I'm on Tumblr also with the URL blurtitoutalready.**


	6. Chapter 6

"That doesn't sound ridiculous at all."

"Life's never boring, hmm?" Sympathized Kurt.

"Crap, we don't even have clean clothes for them."

"Yes we do. I started a load earlier. I had to wash the sheets on our bed. Roxanne had a little trouble during the night. I'll go switch around the washer and dryer after we eat then we can all shower and go."

* * *

So that's what they did. Roxanne, as it turned out, was deathly afraid of the subway for some reason so they ended up walking the eight blocks in the late June heat, Kurt grateful he had baby-appropriate sunscreen to slather on the two little ones and himself. Blaine called his father again, who offered no help but said he'd pay for any expenses Blaine incurred while figuring this ~situation~ out and promised to call Coopers mother. Kurt screened a call from Rachel and a text from Mercedes – he'd deal with them later.

They walked inside the police station and were told to take a number and wait by the officer sitting behind the intake table. Blaine bounced Joey on his lap while Kurt helped Roxanne create an elaborate biography for her stuffed bear – lovingly named Annie – that included Annie's schooling on the moon and her brief career as a doctor who fixed maladies with Cheetos.

"Kurt," Blaine interrupted suddenly.

"Yeah?"

"Um, honey, what do you want to do if they can't find Amber right away?"Kurt opened his mouth and closed it, his eyebrows narrowing as he thought.

"I don't know," he finally answered. Blaine nodded.

"Me neither. Hell, you have rehearsal and work tomorrow and I have rehearsal too – I mean, what are we going to do with them? But…"

"But they're you're family." Finished Kurt. He took Blaine's hand. "They're _my_ family. Why don't we just wait to see what the police say?" Blaine let out a breath.

"Yeah, okay."

"Seventeen!" An officer called.

"That's us," stated Blaine, quickly standing up. The two young men quickly followed the officer into a private room.

"How can I help you today?" The officer asked once they were seated. In a rush Blaine quickly explained everything that had happened between yesterday morning and today.

"So, we didn't know what else to do –that's why we came here. We really want to find Amber and figure out what's going on with her."

The officer opened up his laptop. "Amber Collins you said? And you have a phone number?"

"For her mother, Rosemary Collins," Kurt added. He handed the officer a piece of paper with the woman's phone number on it.

"Okay, yep, it looks like she's in our system. Minor busts over the years, mostly drug related offenses – oh alright – here we go children: there's Roxanne Ophelia Collins and Joseph Cooper Anderson. Birth dates January 5th 2013 and March 15th 2016 respectively. Roxanne's birth certificate doesn't list a father, Joseph's lists a "Cooper Anderson," the officer paused and looked at Blaine, "Your brother I take it?" Blaine nodded. "Looks like Roxanne was in foster care from March 9th 2013 to June 11th 2013 and then with her grandmother Rosemary Collins from November 8th 2014 to April 21st 2015 and back in foster care July 1st 2015 until October 10th 2015. Last known address for Amber is the one you gave me. Looks like she's on parole until next fall but missed her last check in with her P.O. We'll put an APB out on her to try to find her along with filing a missing person report."

"Why were they put in foster care?" Blaine asked. The officer skimmed the page.

"Looks like mom took went MIA like now a couple times and the home was found to be unfit." Kurt cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"Any history of…abuse?"

"Looks like neglect mostly, but mom always turned up eventually. Rosemary on the other hand – looks like Amber petitioned to get the kids back from her mother after noticing some bruises on her arm and back." Kurt and Blaine sucked in their breaths. _Grandma's mean. She hits. You're not supposed to hit._

"So…what happens now?" Blaine asked hesitantly.

The officer looked between them, at a content Joey in Blaine's arm and at Roxanne who'd fallen asleep in Kurt's lap.

"Well, we try to place children with family until we can locate their parents and make an assessment. You said Cooper is back in California?"

"Yes," answered Blaine, sounding thoroughly disgusted. "He texted me after we got off the phone this morning that he took the early flight back – he probably just landed."

"If we don't have some kin to place the children, we put them in for an emergency, temporary, placement before we find a more stable foster family in a couple days."

"So they'll go from their moms to Coopers to our apartment to an emergency placement to a foster family all in a couple days?" Kurt asked anxiously. Blaine looked at his boyfriend, Kurt's eyes ablaze with a determination he hadn't seen in a long time.

"Kurt? Do you…-"

"-Only if you want to. It's….it's your decision."

"It's our decision." Blaine countered. "Um, Officer Bentley – I'm Joseph and, maybe, probably, Roxanne's uncle – so I'm kin, right?" The officer looked at them appraisingly.

"Are you two thinking about applying for emergency custody? You're awfully young."

"I'm twenty-two, Blaine's twenty-one. Is that old enough?"

"Well, yes, we'd have to run a background check though, and a social worker will make a visit in twenty-four hours from the start of custody to make sure your living space meets our requirements."

"What sort of requirements?" Blaine asked.

"I'll print you out a list. Do you both have your IDs? I can run the background check. The custody would only be until we find mom and then do an assessment, then you would have to go before the court to petition for a more permanent situation or the children would go back to Amber or into foster care. Or if your brother came back, as their father – or at least Josephs, we'll need to do a DNA test on Roxanne, - he could petition for custody as well."

Blaine and Kurt fished out their wallets and handed over their IDs. The officer gave them a stern look and then excused themselves to make copies and begin the background check process.

"Are you _sure_ about this?" Blaine asked Kurt with wide, searching eyes.

"Um…that you and I are ready to do this? No. But I am sure that I want to try and it's only temporary, right? Just till they find Amber... Wow your brother sure can pick 'em can't he?" Kurt winced. "Sorry, that was mean."

"No no I got what you meant," Blaine assured, "this whole thing is….I keep thinking I'm like…having a really crazy dream or something." Kurt nodded.

"Me too. Well…it'll be good practice for when we start our family."

After about fifteen minutes later the officer returned with a hefty stack of forms and a long list of requirements to pass the social workers inspection the next day. Blaine handed Joey off to Kurt and took to filling out the forms – as Kurt and Blaine weren't married only Blaine was being granted custody as he was their next-of-kin (that was available at least) though he filled out a form that allowed Kurt to be around the children as well. Kurt scanned the list of requirements while balancing both children in his lap. He was glad Mr. Anderson had agreed to foot the bill as they'd need to get more food, diapers and clothes, not to mention a crib and a bed for Roxanne and where were they going to put these children in their little one bedroom anyway?

"You'll be required to undergo an evaluation in a month's time if the children are still in your custody and there's biweekly parenting classes on your choice of Tuesday or Thursday evenings or Sunday afternoons for six months that you will need to attend Mr. Anderson, though you may bring Mr. Hummel if you so choose."

"Okay. Okay. Okay," Blaine chanted to psych himself up as he finished filling out the stack of forms. "Let's do this." The officer fished out a lolly-pop from his desk and handed it to Roxanne when they woke her up so they could leave.

**Thanks for the lovely reviews - they're much appreciated. **


	7. Chapter 7

"Okay. Okay. Okay," Blaine chanted to psych himself up as he finished filling out the stack of forms. "Let's do this." The officer fished out a lolly-pop from his desk and handed it to Roxanne when they woke her up so they could leave.

* * *

"You call you dad," instructed Kurt, "and I'll call mine."

"Where are we going?" Asked Roxanne.

"We're going shopping. We're going to pick up some things to make our apartment more comfy for you and Joey."

"Yay!" Exclaimed Roxanne. The four slowly made their way to the nearest Target and Kurt took out his phone and pressed #2. His father's cell phone began to rang and Burt picked up on the 2nd ring.

"Hey Kiddo, how's it going? You don't usually call until later in the day on Sunday,"

"Blaine and I have some news," Kurt began tightly.

"Are you okay?" Is Blaine okay?" Burt demanded, anxiety quickly coloring his voice.

"We're fine." Burt sighed in relief.

"You two didn't get married behind our backs did you?" Burt joked.

"No, we didn't get _married_, dad…but you're in the right, er, family, vein."

"Did one of your propose?"

"Dad just let me tell you!" Kurt snapped.

"Sorry, sorry, go ahead."

"I know you'd be more likely to expect this call from Rachel and Finn, seeing as they have the typical plumbing, but it looks like Blaine and I are - unexpectedly– entering into the wide world of parenthood."

"Kurt what're you talking about? Did you adopt a puppy or something?"

"No I assure you I'm referring to human children. You know Cooper – Blaine's brother?"

"Yeah…..goofy guy," recalled Burt.

"Goofy, _irresponsible_, asshole is more like it."

"You said a bad word!" Reminded Roxanne.

"Sorry dear," apologized Kurt. He'd really have to work on that. He launched into the story of the past thirty-six hours.

Meanwhile, Blaine had gotten his father not on his home line, or his cell, but on his office line.

"So – did you get them back with the mother?" Mr. Anderson asked when his secretary patched Blaine through.

"No. They're trying to find Amber but I guess this isn't the first time this happened. Did you know Cooper's back in LA again, already? Didn't even see them before he left. Anyway – as I'm their next of kin we got emergency kinship custody."

"You put in for custody?" Questioned Mr. Anderson. "We don't even know if they're really your brother's obligation."

"It's only temporary until they find Amber," Blaine explained, "and I am sure this three month old baby boy I have in my hand is my nephew. He looks just like Cooper. What was I supposed to do? Take him but separate him from his sister? Kurt and I couldn't do that. But listen. We're going to need some money: you said you'd pay for us to figure this out and this is what is happening and there's a long list of things Kurt and I need to do legally keep the kids even if it's only for a couple weeks."

Kurt hung up the phone with a thoroughly flabbergasted Burt and quickly dialed his step-brother.

"Hey Kurt, what's up dude?"

"Are you with Rachel?"

"Yeah, we're getting ready to go to couples interpretive dance class. Please tell me you have a reason why we don't have to go?"

"Consider your two left feet saved," guaranteed Kurt. "Can you go get Rachel and put the phone on speaker? Blaine and I need your help."

Rachel and Finn met them at Target in record speed, Rachel still in her ballet shoes, leggings and oversized t-shirt.

"Holy cow," she exhaled as they rounded the corner and came upon Kurt and Blaine comparing stroller options.

"Are we being p'unked?" Finn asked, looking around wildly for either Ashton Kutcher or a camera crew.

"Who're you? Are you a giant?" Asked Roxanne, gripping onto Blaine's hand with trepidation. Finn smiled and crouched down so he was closer to eye level with the tot.

"No, I'm just tall. My name's Finn – Kurt is my brother. He told me your name is Roxanne." The little smiled shyly and looked at the ground.

"Uh huh." Rachel crouched down as well.

"I'm Rachel. Isn't that funny? Our names begin with the same letter: R. I bet we're going to be good friends." Roxanne nodded.

"Is Finn your boyfriend?" Rachel stuck out her left hand and let Roxanne get an eyeful of her rings.

"He's my husband. We got married two weeks ago – we only just got back from our honeymoon!" Blaine blinked.

"After the past day and a half it feels like you guys got married _years_ ago," he admitted. Well, Finn and Rachel had _almost_ gotten married so many times over the years it had become a bit of a running joke.

After everyone got acquainted and a quick trip to the bathroom for Kurt and a reluctant but I-agreed-to-be-helpful Rachel with both of the kids the four adults split up to compile necessary items that the kids would need during their stay with Kurt and Blaine. When they finished an hour later (Kurt stealthily put back a few of the gaudier items Rachel picked out and explained to a thoroughly put out Finn that neither Roxanne nor baby Joey needed an Xbox) Blaine was grateful to pull out his "emergency" credit card that was registered to his father.

Roxanne quickly took to Rachel, clinging to her hand as they hailed a couple cabs to head back to the apartment with their many purchases (which included a double stroller that had built-in removable carrier/car seat for Joey and booster seat for Roxanne). Rachel delighted the little girl with a story about a princess who just happened to be named Roxanne (what a coincidence?) that saved her kingdom from a dragon by finding the dragon a unicorn to be its friend; making the dragon less lonely and apparently less blood thirsty for villagers. Kurt rationed in his mind that the dragon would probably _eat_ the unicorn along with the villagers but he kept that observation to himself.

**Thank you for the lovely reviews - I love hearing what ya'll think.**


	8. Chapter 8

"What are you guys going to about like, daycare, when you're at Rehearsal?" Finn asked as he and Kurt built Joey's crib while Rachel made lunch and Blaine kept the kids occupied.

"We haven't quite that got worked out yet. Blaine talked to his dad about paying for daycare and he says he'll do it but we have to find one or get a nanny or...something. I called the coffee shop and took the next week off to give us a little breathing room. Luckily my rehearsals are usually in the morning and Blaine's are at night and neither of our shows start until the middle of July so who knows if they'll even still be with us then."

"Rachel and I'll help, babysit, if you want," Finn offered kindly.

"Thank you," replied Kurt sincerely, "I want to say we've got this all handled, but honestly we're going to need all the help we can get over the next few weeks." _Or longer_, he added to himself.

They set up Joey's crib and changing station in their room, pushing his and Blaine's bed and dresser to the far wall to make room. They moved on to the living room where they pushed furniture around until they'd cleared a corner big enough for the toddler bed they'd gotten for Roxanne and a small dresser for her things. Once they got the bed and dresser put together Finn pulled out another box from their pile.

"What's this?" He asked.

"It's a privacy partition," Kurt answered before his brain caught up with his mouth. "I mean, it's a temporary wall. To make her room feel like a room." Finn flushed and stared at the carpeting."

"It's a great. I'm sure she'll love it," he offered unsurely, before looking up and trying to catch Kurt's eye.

"Thanks," answered Kurt brusquely, "wanna help me put it together?" Finn eagerly took the offering and started wrenching open the box.

By dinner time they had almost everything set up in a way that made Kurt happy. Roxanne had a hard time letting Rachel leave and started crying as soon as the door shut behind them.

"I miss my mommy," the little girl sobbed. Kurt looked to Blaine as he fed Joey. Kurt always liked that, at their most open, he and Blaine could almost communicate telepathically.

"I know," soothed Kurt, pulling the child in for a hug.

"When is she coming back?"

"I….I don't know honey," Kurt admitted.

"_Why not_?" Roxanne demanded pitifully.

"Do you know what I _do_ know?" Kurt asked.

"What?"

"I know that you and Joey are safe and we're going to eat our dinner and then read some stories and play and then you can go to sleep in your brand new bed." Roxanne eyed him mutinously.

"Don't want to. Scary." Kurt was impressed, and grateful, by her ability to articulate her feelings – he'd spent the entirety of yesterday evening once he'd gotten Roxanne settled reading as much as he could about three year olds as fast as it would download to his Kindle.

"It's scary being in a new place. You're safe here. Your uncle Blaine and I are going to take good care of you and Joey." Roxanne sniffled and held onto him a little longer as her breathing evened out. The little girl calmed considerably but didn't seem to eat much of her dinner. Blaine figured it was normal but that it'd probably be a good idea to take the kids to a doctor for a checkup in the next week. As the kids were technically in foster care now they had been given emergency Medicaid for their health insurance.

After dinner they gave the kids a bath (Kurt wasn't sure he'd ever get used to how frequently his life now consisted of naked small children) and helped Roxanne brush her teeth. Roxanne fought Blaine about wearing a pull-up to bed but relented when Blaine showed her that they had little Flounder designs on them and she could wear her "big girl" underwear over them if she wanted. By eight o'clock Kurt and Blaine were ready for bed but it looked like neither of the little ones were on board. It was after midnight once everyone was settled and an _exhausted _Kurt and Blaine fell into bed and asleep still wearing their day clothes.

* * *

**Sorry this update is so short - the next section is much longer but I'm not quite happy with it yet and I wanted to update.**

**Thank you for the lovely reviews. This story isn't going to be _super _angsty I promise, but I would like to remind readers that this parenting endeavor is not something Kurt and Blaine sought out themselves - they thought they'd have _years_ before this and much more control over the situation. Whatever ends up happening I can tell you it will be happy though :)**

**Reviews are appreciated.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Sorry for the delay readers. The Glee Finale really, really bummed me out for several days. LOL if you follow me on tumblr you probably saw a barrage of angry posts. I'm feeling marginally better and am reasonably happy with this chapter so here you go!**

* * *

After dinner they gave the kids a bath (Kurt wasn't sure he'd ever get used to how frequently his life now consisted of naked small children) and helped Roxanne brush her teeth. Roxanne fought Blaine about wearing a pull-up to bed but relented when Blaine showed her that they had little Flounder designs on them and she could wear her "big girl" underwear over them if she wanted. By eight o'clock Kurt and Blaine were ready for bed but it looked like neither of the little ones were on board. It was after midnight once everyone was settled and an _exhausted _Kurt and Blaine fell into bed and asleep still wearing their day clothes.

* * *

The next week was an exercise in patience, endurance and survival. The social worker came on Monday and asked enough personal questions Kurt turned on the air conditioner, both ceiling fans and threw open the windows of their apartment out of anxiety. Tuesday brought doctor's appointments between rehearsals to make sure Joey and Roxanne were healthy and lo and behold it turned out Roxanne was a trooper about the doctors but Joey was fussy the rest of the day and into the night. On Wednesday Kurt called Ambers mom again but she didn't answer. His cast members shot him annoyed glances when Blaine screwed up his cue to enter a scene for the fourth time in a row on Thursday – he was tired: Roxanne had kept them up most of the night because she'd started screaming in her sleep for no apparent reason. On Friday Officer Melken who they'd met with at the police station called to tell them she didn't have any news, and on Saturday Burt and Carole flew in from Ohio.

Kurt and Blaine tried to meet them at the airport but they couldn't get the kids out of the house quickly enough so Burt sent him a text that they were taking a cab.

"Whoa," greeted Carole as Blaine pulled open the door for her and Burt when they arrived about twenty minutes later. Her eyes widened as she scanned the apartment – Blaine and Kurt usually kept a pretty pristine living environment and the apartment was far from awful looking but it was certainly messier than it had ever been. "I mean, hello!"

"Hi Dad, hi Carole," Kurt called from the kitchen; he rounded the corner carrying Joey, a towel draped around his neck like one of his cowl sweaters.

Burt stared at him, Blaine guessed it was probably the first time Burt had ever seen Kurt really hold a baby, but he came back to himself quickly and greeted Blaine and Kurt and Joey with enthusiasm.

"Isn't there a little girl too? Where's Roxanne?" Carole asked after a minute as Blaine cleared a few toys of the couch for them to sit down.

"She won't come out of our room. Usually she's really social – I mean, she always has been but this morning she's feeling kind of shy I guess," Blaine explained, glancing back at their cracked open bedroom door. "Let me see if I can get her."

"So kiddo – wow it's really weird to see you do that – tell me again the current situation with you and Blaine's niece and nephew." Kurt's eyes closed and he seemed infinitely more tired when he reopened them than he had before they'd sat down.

"There's no change. We start our foster parent classes really soon. Blaine's talked to Cooper a couple more times but he's just as flippant about this whole thing as always; Blaine's dad arranged the doctor's office we went to for their checkups this week to do a DNA test to see if they're Coopers kids or not, we're interviewing nanny's later this week because you have to pay for daycare for six months or a year and…."

"…and you guys aren't planning on having them that long, are you?" Burt prompted when Kurt drifted off.

"I don't know," answered Kurt honestly. "Blaine and I aren't….we aren't really prepared for this but they're his family, at least we _think _they are, but it's only been a week – on the other hand it's been a _week_ and there's still no word from their mother." He paused and put his hands around Joey's ears like he was afraid of him overhearing and glanced at the still empty bedroom doorway. "She could be dead for all we know," he finished in a whisper.

Burt and Carole nodded grimly.

"And even if she's not she might not be in any state to 'mother' when she does turn up," Kurt finished.

"Cooper?" Carole asked.

"Blaine's been talking to him but he's completely freaked out about this so he's acting even more aloof and irresponsible than ever. I don't think there's any chance of him taking them." Carole looked hard at Kurt.

"The children's mother –Amber? – you said she has had some arrests in the past for drugs?" Burt took Carole's hand comfortingly.

"Yes," agreed Kurt tentatively, "I don't really know more than that."

"Well – and this isn't an excuse for everything that's going on – but drugs can make otherwise really wonderful people do – act like people you've never met before." Kurt nodded his understanding. He opened his mouth to reply when Blaine came back into the living room, holding a skittish Roxanne.

"Roxanne," Blaine began carefully, "this is Burt and Carole – their Kurt's parents, can you say hello?" Roxanne shook her head and buried her face in Blaine's chest.

"That's alright," excused Carole kindly, "we can do our introductions later. She's beautiful Blaine."

"Yeah, she is – and smart too, very perceptive."

"Is your dad helping you two get everything you need for their care?" Burt asked.

"Yes. He's not…thrilled by the present situation of course, but yes he's been paying for everything. We're getting the DNA results in two weeks and that's all he can talk about."

"Well, we might not have platinum credit cards like your dad, Blaine, but we're here for you both – whatever you need."

"Thank you Mr. Hum – Burt," Blaine quickly corrected himself, he'd been calling Kurt's dad Mr. Humburt for years now, old habits die hard.

"Dad, do you think there's anything, with your congressional connections – to find Amber?" Burt shook his head.

"I've been looking into that, but so far nothing's really pointed us in a good direction."

"How are you two holding up?" Carole asked.

"We're –"began Kurt and Blaine at the same time. Blaine laughed and motioned for Kurt to continue.

"We're tired, but we're okay. It's basically been just trying to get through each day," Kurt began calmly before pausing, frowning, smiling and then breaking out into cut off, barking laughter, "honestly, we have no idea what the hell we're doing."

"You said a bad word!" Piped up Roxanne from the confines of Blaine's shoulder.

"And I keep doing that!" exclaimed Kurt exasperatedly. "Sorry, Roxanne, you're right I did."

"The longer they're with us, without Amber in the picture, eventually we're going to have to make a decision about their care – but….we've only _known _them a week, and we've only been trying to do this a week and I just don't want to screw this up," continued Blaine.

"Parenting is a huge, lifelong responsibility," agreed Burt. "Plus this situation is…complicated, to say the least."

"Plus the city could change everything tomorrow and decide to place them with another family, so it's – it's hard to even think about anything past this very moment," admitted Blaine. Joey squirmed in Kurt's arms.

"Oh, diaper change – I think, I'll be right back," he said, carefully standing up and carrying the infant into the bathroom.

"Blaine you know we think of you like a son," Burt started, looking Blaine right in the eye, "so you know we have your back on this – whatever you decided to do."

"Thank you, Burt." Blaine adjusted Roxanne on his lap as she started to relax and shift herself so she could look at Burt and Carole.

"But that doesn't mean that we think you two are ready for this – whatever _this _is." Blaine ran a hand through his hair.

"I know. Kurt and I have talked about kids a lot, and we want them, and Roxanne and Joey are – they feel like my family – but like, how realistic would it be for us to have them…long term? Kurt could get called into the show full time any day and I have classes again once the fall hits and we were thinking of kids more around our thirtieth birthdays not our twenty-third." Burt nodded.

"I was twenty-three when Kurt was born. Scared like crazy. Emily seemed to know everything intuitively but I didn't have a clue."

"You're Kurt's daddy?" Roxanne asked quizzically.

"Mhmm, that's right," agreed Burt warmly.

"Are you Kurt's mommy?" Roxanne directed at Carole.

"Kind of – I'm Kurt's step-mom, do you know –"

"I miss my mommy," Roxanne grumbled, interrupting Carole.

"I know sweetie, I know," soothed Carole, exchanging a significant look with Burt.

"How long can Amber be….MIA before the court makes a more…permanent decision?"

"The kids have already been in foster care a couple of times before so I think that influences things but I'm not really sure. I don't even know what they'd do if she showed up tomorrow. I hate to think of the kids shuffled around even more than they, especially Roxanne-"

"That's my name!"

"You're right it is. I'd hate to think of them shuffled around more than they've already been, so Kurt and I will have to make a decision eventually if Amber doesn't turn up – we apply for permanent custody or…if they declare Amber to have lost her parental rights, to have the kids adopted by another family. But we're getting ahead of ourselves. We still have to wait for the DNA results and if it turns out that neither of them are Coopers we could lose them altogether because we're not really officially foster parents yet – it's just an emergency next-of-kin designation."

"It sounds like we're just going to have to wait this out," said Burt resignedly.

* * *

**The next chapter there's going to be some twists and turns so hang on for that.**

**Thanks for reading, reviewing and being awesome.**

**Love - Elle aka Blurtitoutalready**


	10. Chapter 10

**Thanks for your patience everyone! You'll see why this chapter is a bit delayed when you read, and it's about 2x as long as the last chapter so there's that.**

**I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

"The kids have already been in foster care a couple of times before so I think that influences things but I'm not really sure. I don't even know what they'd do if she showed up tomorrow. I hate to think of the kids shuffled around even more than they, especially Roxanne-"

"That's my name!"

"You're right it is. I'd hate to think of them shuffled around more than they've already been, so Kurt and I will have to make a decision eventually if Amber doesn't turn up – we apply for permanent custody or…if they declare Amber to have lost her parental rights, to have the kids adopted by another family. But we're getting ahead of ourselves. We still have to wait for the DNA results and if it turns out that neither of them are Coopers we could lose them altogether because we're not really officially foster parents yet – it's just an emergency next-of-kin designation."

"It sounds like we're just going to have to wait this out," said Burt resignedly.

* * *

Burt and Carole stayed with them until Wednesday evening; having them around was a huge help as they still hadn't found a nanny yet and it was also just _nice_ to have Kurt's family around to help talk them through the madness that had become their life.

Finn and Kurt accompanied Burt and Carol to the airport Wednesday evening while Blaine, who had a rare night off from rehearsals, stayed home with the kids with Rachel.

"Okay kiddo," started Burt as they reached the barricade where only ticket-holders were allowed to pass, "I know everything is up in the air right now but you have to make the best decisions for _you_. Okay? Blaine is family, and I know those kids probably feel like your family, but that doesn't mean you have to give up on your dreams.''

"I know. I just wish I knew what was the best solution for everybody – I mean, maybe Blaine and I aren't even the right people to be their parents? Just saying "Blaine and I" and "parents" in the same sentence sounds so foreign in my mouth. Or maybe we are and this is totally meant to be. I just wish I knew," Kurt confessed, frustrated.

"You'll know, when the time comes to make a decision, you two will know." Kurt smiled gently at his father.

"Thanks dad."

* * *

Hugs were doled out between the four and then they were gone, leaving Kurt and Finn to head back home.

The next few days that passed felt oddly routine. Blaine cared for the kids in the morning, Kurt in the evening, and they met in the middle. Roxanne seemed to be settling in a bit more and Joey laughed for the first time, maybe ever, on Friday morning as he discovered in delight that he could indeed stick most of his toes in his mouth if he really tried. They were starting to really feel sleep deprived (and sex deprived, to be honest) but overall things were going alright.

Saturday afternoon brought their first foster parenting class which was weird and intimidating and invasive but also wildly affirming and useful. Before the class they'd stopped by the bank to try to cash the check Cooper had mailed them to help cover some of the kids, _his kids_, expenses but the teller informed them they couldn't cash it because Cooper's account was overdrawn. Figures.

Both Roxanne and Joey were tired out from playing with the other kids in the foster parent group (or excitedly glancing and making grabby-hands at them in Joey's case) so Kurt and Blaine put them down for naps once they returned home and locked themselves in the bathroom with the baby monitor to try to sneak in a little alone time before Blaine had to leave. They made it through two rushed but still awesome blowjobs before Joey woke up crying.

Blaine left for rehearsal just as Kurt got started on dinner. Roxanne tottered into the kitchen just as Kurt put the chicken in the oven and wanted to know how she could help. The only things left to do were to cut up vegetables so Kurt gave her a few pots and pans and a mixing spoon and let her sit on the floor and clang away, a decision he immediately regretted. When the meal was finished being prepared Kurt scooped up the little girl and placed her in her booster seat and the two dug in.

"Yummy," complimented Roxanne. "You cook good." Though the accolades of a three year old only had so much reach, Kurt couldn't help but preen a little.

"Why thank you Roxanne. I'm glad you like it."

"I like to cook," the little girl continued.

"I see that. Sounds like you like to make music too," Kurt observed. The child nodded vigorously.

"Will you sing with me after dinner?"

"Sure thing honey," Kurt promised, grateful the precocious three year old enjoyed his renditions of the songbook from the _Wizard of Oz _even more than she liked _The Itsy Bitsy Spider._

* * *

"Blaine!" "Blaine wake up. Now!" Kurt called into the darkness.

"Whzut?" Blaine mumbled, turning over but still mostly asleep.

"Blaine something's wrong with Joey!" Blaine's eyes flew open as his brain registered the panic in Kurt's voice.

"What? What's wrong?" The light clicked on and Blaine blinked as his eyes adjusted and he hauled himself out of bed and over to where Kurt was holding Joey next to his crib. The little boys eyes looked spooked, glassy and wide eyed.

"I'm not sure I heard something and…." Just as Kurt began to speak Joey started thrashing in his arms. Kurt held him out in front of his chest with skittish fingers. "Oh my god."

"Is he having a seizure? Holy shit. What do we do?" Blaine exclaimed, gesticulating wildly with his hands.

"I – I, I don't know! I'm going to call 911. Jesus don't drop him."

"I'm not going to drop him!" Kurt snapped. Blaine grimaced his apology and then turned back to the bed.

"Where is my phone?" He threw off the covers and pillows of the bed, searching. Just as he found it Joey's thrashing stopped and he started to cry instead, turning red-faced with his little fists bound tightly together.

"Well, at least he's breathing," barked out Kurt with a shuddering breath.

"Should I still call 911?" Kurt shook his head.

"The hospital is only a few blocks from here. It'll be faster for us to just go. Can you get Rox-"

"Why is everyone yelling?" A squeaky, annoyed little voice asked from the doorway.

"Shh, it's okay Roxy," Blaine soothed, picking her up into his arms. "Joey doesn't feel good so we're all going to go to the doctors okay?"

"Right now? Isn't the doctor sleepin!" Kurt flitted around behind them, holding onto a still screeching Joey and throwing items into the baby bag.

"Alright let's go," he declared, striding past them and stepping into the only pair of flip-flops he owned. Blaine only just had enough presence of mind to figure that eventually Kurt would realize he was leaving the house in only a pair of Blaine's basketball shorts and no shirt so he grabbed a plain cotton tshirt blindly from their top drawer and a stuffed animal for Roxanne and followed Kurt out the door.

Walking into a hospitals emergency room at 3:27am on a Saturday night (Sunday morning?) in Manhattan was an experience in and of itself. Roxanne luckily fell asleep in Blaine's arms during the short walk over so she missed the drunk man with vomit all over his shirt and a nasty gash in his cheek sitting the row behind them.

Kurt was on a warpath the moment they walked in the door. They hadn't thought to bring any of their foster parent paperwork with them but the nurse didn't give them any trouble after getting a full dose of Kurt's iciest bitch face. The doctor on call came out and Blaine handed the sleeping Roxanne to Kurt so he could follow the doctor into an exam room with Joey.

Kurt hated waiting. Hated it. He took out his phone and hit the #4 speed dial.

"Hey baby!" Answered a giggly Mercedes Jones. "Little late on the East Coast isn't it? You and Blaine having a wild night?"

"Joey – the little boy – is sick." Mercedes gasped audibly.

"Oh Kurt, I'm sorry I'm a little drunk after the show I forgot all about – ,"

"Don't worry about it," Kurt dismissed. "I don't know anything. Blaine's in the exam room with the doctor and the baby and I don't know anything and I am like 99.725% sure he had a fuc-freaking seizure and I'm waiting and I just….tell me about your night, okay? Distract me. Please."

"Yeah, yeah sure Kurt of course," Mercedes agreed immediately. "Okay so Sam and I got so lost trying to get to this club I was performing at tonight and…."

Kurt let Mercedes soothing voice seep into his frayed nerves and stroked Roxanne's hair as the minutes went by. After almost two ours Blaine came out, holding a sleeping and perfectly-healthy looking baby in his arms. Kurt stood up immediately, almost sending Roxanne toppling from his lap before he remembered and held her to him. Blaine rushed at him and they hugged as tightly as they could with two children between them.

"Well?" Kurt demanded, looking pointedly at the doctor as soon as they broke apart. The exhausted looking physician exhaled.

"Joey _did_ have a seizure, that's what we know for sure. We just don't know _why_."

"Isn't that why you did all the tests? To figure it out? Is it serious? Will it happen again?" Kurt demanded.

"That's what I want to know," Blaine agreed, sounding annoyed.

"I was just telling Mr. Anderson here, there's lots of reasons why an infant could have a seizure. We ruled out Meningitis and a Vitamin B6 deficiency but it could be any number of things. It doesn't look like there's any damage to the baby but we'll know more if and when it happens again." Blaine ran through everything the doctor had told him about genetic issues and infections and brain injuries and other terrifying sounding things. Joey looked so content in Blaine's arms it was hard to imagine that anything at all could be wrong with the baby.

"So now we just take him home and wait and see?" Blaine asked, standing closely to Kurt, holding his hand while Kurt held Roxanne on his opposite hip.

"I wish I could give you a definitive answer," the doctor said earnestly, but it was little comfort.

Checking out of the hospital took nearly as long as Joey's tests had and the sun was peaking in through the windows as they finished signing paperwork at the receptionist's desk. The receptionist, a redhead far too perky at just after 7am for Kurt's liking, smiled at both the children as Blaine handed her back the pile of forms.

"Yes this al looks in order, you're free to go and I hope the rest of your day is less…eventful. Oh! Happy Father's Day you two!" Blaine and Kurt stared at her for a long moment, the fact that it was now definitely Sunday morning, and indeed Father's Day hadn't entered into their mind not once (though Kurt's Fathers day present to Burt was ready and waiting for him at his office in DC having been purchased months ago when Kurt spotted it in a vintage shop in Hells Kitchen). They gaped at the woman for a long moment.

"Oh we're not –," Kurt and Blaine started at the same time before glancing at one another. "Thank you," they finished in unison. Their hands found each other and they gave each others palms a squeeze before walking through the automatic doors of the emergency room and heading out into the dawning Sunday morning.

**Reviews are flailed over and appreciated greatly.**


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